Reactive dye compounds are known in the art for dyeing various substrates. Such substrates include for example proteinaceous materials such as keratin, e.g. found in hair, skin and nails and various animal body parts such as horns, hooves and feathers, and other naturally occurring protein containing materials, e.g. silk and saccharide-derived materials such as those derived from cellulose or cellulose derivatives, e.g. natural products such as cotton, and synthetic fibres such as polyamides.
Examples of classes of such reactive dyes which are well known in the art include dyes containing a mono- or dichloro- or fluoro-1,3,5-triazinyl group, trichloro or mono- or di-fluoro-pyrimidyl group, beta-halogen-propionyl group, beta-halogenoethyl-sulphonyl group, beta-halogenoethylsulphamyl group, chloroacetyl amino, beta-(chloro-methyl)-beta-sulphatoethylsulphamyl group, or a vinyl sulphonyl group.
In the case of the dyes containing a triazinyl group or a pyrimidyl group, in place of the reactive halogen atoms one can use other groups which dissociate in the presence of alkali. Canadian Patent 771632, for example, discloses examples of such other groups including sulphonic acid, thiocyanate, sulphophenoxy, sulphophenyl thio, nitrosulphophenoxy groups, and quaternary ammonium groups.
“The Synthesis and Properties of some Triazine-Stilbene Fluorescent Brighteners”, I.Grabtchev, discloses the synthesis of certain triazine stilbene fluorescent brighteners containing methacrylic groups.
The Journal of Macromoleular Chemistry 64 (1977), 205-210 (Nr. 951) discloses the polymerisation of acrylonitrile in dimethylformamide in the presence of some unsaturated triazine derivatives. The Journal of Macromolecular Chemistry 50 (1976) 1-8 (Nr.728) discloses the polymerization of styrene in the presence of some coloured anthraquinone and azoderivatives of 1,3,5-triazine, containing a group able to copolymerize.
The Journal of the Chemical Society, 1963, pages 4130-4144, “The Hydrolysis of Some Chloro-1,3,5-Triazines” by S. Horrobin, discloses that dichloro-m-sulphoanilinotriazine is rapidly hydrolysed in acetate (pH 4.7) or phthalate (pH 4.0) buffers.
There are many different types of commercially-available reactive dyes for dyeing cellulosic and polyamide-type substrates. However, a critical problem still facing the textile dye industry today is the significant level of dyestuff material which remains in the effluent waste water after the dyeing process is finished. The industry measure for this problem is known as dye-bath Exhaustion (E). A high Exhaustion value for a particular dye compound means that a low level of spent dye remains in the effluent after the dyeing process is complete, while a low Exhaustion value means that a high level of spent dye remains in the effluent. There is clearly a need therefore for new dye compounds which have higher Exhaustion Values compared with commercially available dye compounds, and which provide benefits in terms of reducing levels of spent dyestuff in effluent water.
As well as having a high Exhaustion Value, it is also important for a dye compound to have a high dye-fibre covalent Fixation Value (F). The Fixation Value (P) of a reactive dye compound is a measure of the extent of covalent bonding with the substrate based on the dye originally absorbed during the dyeing process. Thus 100% Fixation means that 100% of the absorbed dye covalently bonds to the substrate. Thus, there is clearly a need to provide dye compounds having increased Fixation Values. A high Fixation Value can result in a simplification of the post dyeing “soaping off process” traditionally associated with fibre reactive dye compounds. In particular, a high Fixation Value can result in a reduced time spent on the “soaping off process” together with a reduced cost.
It has now been surprisingly found that a new class of fibre reactive dye compounds comprising a nitrogen-containing heterocycle substituted with at least one phosphonate derivative, exhibit significantly increased values of Exhaustion (E) and Fixation (F). These dyes can be used on a wide variety of substrates. They are particularly useful for cellulosic substrates, such as cotton, and materials such as keratin, hair, wool and silk, and show significant improvements in terms of reducing spent dyestuff in effluent, increasing dye affinity to the substrate, increasing the efficiency of the dye-substrate covalent reaction, and simplifying the post dyeing “soaping off process” traditionally associated with reactive dyes. In addition, the compounds of the present invention provide significantly more intense dyeings, and can be used for both high and low temperature dyeing, hence reducing the cost of the dyeing process. Furthermore, the compounds of the present invention can be used together with specific chromophores for cellulose substrate dyeing leading to significantly reduced levels of salt needed for dyeing.